(1) Field of the Disclosure
The instant disclosure relates to electronic weapon accessories for commercial and combat weapons.
(2) Description of Related Art
As the field of commercial and combat weaponry expands, numerous add-on accessories have become available and are commonly mounted on various firearms. In order to mount these accessories, most weapons now include, or are modified to include, one or more MIL-STD 1913 dovetail attachment rails. Many of the semi-automatic rifle systems include rail systems having four separate rails surrounding the barrel for maximum mounting surface area. The accessories are typically mounted to the dovetail rails using interface mounts where one face of the mount secures to the accessory and the other face secures to the dovetail rail with a clamp. Many varieties of clamping arrangements are known in the art.
As is well known in this art, user configurable mounting arrangements are highly desirable as there are many different types of accessories and many different preferences for their mounting and operation. Sighting accessories are typically mounted on an upper rail. However, electronic accessories, such as flashlights, IR illuminators and lasers can be mounted in many different locations around the barrel. The ability of the user to mount an electronic accessory in a particular location on a weapon with a particular presentation of the controls is paramount to ease of use, user effectiveness and most importantly, user safety. Customization is critical to every soldier, law enforcement officer and civilian weapon owner.